Bruce Logan, Legendary VFX Artist of ‘Star Wars’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ Fame, Dies at 78

Bruce Logan, a special effects and cinematography innovator and pioneer who worked on “Star Wars” and “2001: A Space Odyssey,” died April 10 at the age of 78.

Logan’s daughter Mary Grace Logan confirmed his death on Instagram, where she wrote that her father changed the movie industry “before CGI ruled the screen.”

He was one of the “visionaries who lit the future by hand,” Mary Grace continued. “From ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ to ‘Tron,’ my dad didn’t just work on movies—he made magic. A rebel with a camera, a pioneer with a story, and my personal hero.”

“I’m so proud to be your daughter and to honor your life and legacy. Daddy—aka Bruce Logan, ASC—was a visionary cinematographer, director, and visual effects pioneer whose artistry illuminated films like ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Tron,’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.'”

“But beyond your remarkable career, you were my dad. I remember you playing ‘House of the Rising Sun’ on your beautiful Martin guitar (which I was definitely not allowed to touch). Watching you build a race car with your bare hands blew me away. You weren’t perfect—but you never judged me. I saw into your beautiful soul.”

“You gave me wisdom, and your love enriched the lives of everyone who knew you. Your light continues to shine. I love you forever, Dad. Please keep sending me signs from beyond,” Mary Grace concluded.

Logan, who never attended film school, learned the tricks of the trade from his father Campbell Logan, a BBC drama director. He taught himself animation at 12 and began making his own animated films as a teen, which proved to be a gateway into visual effects. Stanley Kubrick hired him to work under Douglas Trumball when he was 19.

In a 2019 interview with Production Hub about his independent film “Lost Fare,” Logan explained his “huge” interest in Disney spurred his interest in animation. “When I left school, I got a job at an animation company as a rostrum cameraman. This training allowed me to capitalize on an opportunity to work for my favorite director Stanley Kubrick. Doug Trumbull, one of the VFX directors, was looking for animation artists,” he explained.

Taking on freelance work at the time was novel, Logan continued, “but I was footloose and fancy-free and started work as an animator.”

Despite having worked on several impactful pieces of cinema, Logan also said at the time he didn’t realize he was building such an impressive career. “It just seemed that I was looking for work and moved from one picture to another. But the great part about working on a hit movie is that your resume builds itself. In retrospect, it’s only when I started to lecture and attend comicons that I realized how blessed I have been,” he said.

Despite that expertise, Logan also explained his “true passion” was in the art of storytelling. He taught himself screenwriting in the 1970s and doubled as a commercial director for at least two decades, something he told Production Hub “put me in the right place to create my own feature.”

Logan also looked back on the groundbreaking film “Tron” in 2022 in honor of the movie’s 30th anniversary. The movie was the first to use CGI, and Logan told The Lowdown it was shot “with three different methods that had to blend together — regular live-action, live-action that was to be converted to electronic, and then pure CGI.”

After moving to the United States, one of Logan’s first projects was Gram Parsons’ “Saturation70.” He was hired for “Star Wars: A New Hope” in 1976 and his additional credits include “Batman Forever” and “Avalanche Express.”

Logan’s work also included several stints as director for music videos by Rod Stewart, Madonna, and Prince.

Bruce Logan was born on May 15, 1946, in Bushey Heath, England. He is survived by his wife Mariana Campos-Logan and by his children, Mary Grace and Campbell Logan.

Representatives for LucasFilm did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

More to come…

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